The usually quiet Windsor Place subdivision near Belle Isle erupted with gunfire Wednesday morning that led to a shootout, a SWAT standoff and ended with one man dead.

Stunned residents evacuated their homes for hours as dozens of law enforcement officers from across the region rushed to the 5300 block of Hawford Circle to assist the Orange County Sheriff's Office.

Neighbor Kamran Soleimani, 57, was in his bedroom when he heard two "pops" and thought it was the neighbors working on their house.

"Ten minutes later they knocked on my door and said I had to evacuate," Soleimani said. "I just jumped in my car and said I don't need to be here. ... It's scary. You never think it's going to happen to you or your neighborhood. But it just shows you are never really safe."

The Orange County Sheriff's Officer Narcotics Unit had been watching 29-year-old Harrison Carter and his activities at the two-story, 2,000 square-foot home for an extended period of time, Sheriff Jerry Demings said.

About 10:25 a.m., deputies went to the home in OCSO vehicles and uniforms identifying them as law enforcement officers as a package of marijuana was being delivered by a commercial delivery service, Demings said. As Carter attempted to take the illegal drugs, the deputies approached him.

"He clearly knew they were deputy sheriffs at the time based on what they were wearing," Demings said.

But Carter grabbed a handgun and pointed it at the deputies, officials say. Seeing the weapon, two deputies fired at him and Carter fired off several rounds in return, officials said.

"We just started seeing cops flying down Conway," said Corey Sentes, manager at Tires Plus just outside the subdivision. "When we started seeing 10, 15, 20 - at one point we counted 30 cop cars -- that's when it caught our attention."

He said police got out of the cruisers with shotguns drawn and searched the area. Because of the road closures and heavy law enforcement presence, customers couldn't get in or out of the business Wednesday afternoon, Sentes said.

The deputies were not injured but Carter died of a gunshot wound, likely from one of the deputies' bullets, Demings said. It's not clear how many shots were fired. The names of the deputies who shot at Carter were not released but officials say they were both veterans.

"Both have extensive experience," according to OCSO spokeswoman Lourdes Clayton. "One has been with OCSO for 24 years and the other for 19 years."

Demings said the members of the narcotics unit who responded are "well-trained" and followed training protocol.

At least five homes in the area were evacuated "for the safety of everyone in the neighborhood," Demings said. The SWAT team tried to negotiate with Carter and although he briefly communicated with them, Demings said the conversation ended quickly. Deputies eventually entered the home and found Carter dead inside.

Demings said Carter fired with a handgun but officials were concerned that he may have more weapons inside. Deputies did not say if any other weapons were found in the home. The Florida Department of Law Enforcement will investigate the shooting.

Carter's criminal history was minimal, a public records search showed.

Carter, originally from Brooklyn, was arrested last week in Osceola County on a misdemeanor marijuana possession charge after about five grams of the drug was found in his car during a traffic stop. Deputies also found a gun in the car. The weapon was put into evidence for "safe keeping" but Carter was not charged with a weapons violation, an arrest report said. He had no other criminal history in Florida, public records show.

Carter's neighbors were shocked.

Debbie Tolini described Carter as a "wonderful and sweet person" who was great with her grandchildren.

"It's very sad," said Tolini, who was about to go swimming with her grandchildren when she heard the gunshots. "It was scary. ... I just wanted to protect my grand babies."

Neighbor John Otto said Carter didn't really socialize with anyone. But he and others said they never suspected anything illegal was going on at the house in the quiet neighborhood.

"I heard all these sirens," Otto said, "and I came out and saw all these cops."

This is the third officer-involved shooting in the region in the past two weeks.

On July 12, Lake County deputies shot and killed 54-year-old Harold F. Roudebush after the man, threatening suicide, pointed a handgun at deputies. Early Saturday, five OPD officers shot at 22-year-old Ta'Von Grayson in downtown Orlando. Police said Grayson tried to run over a bike patrol office who was attempting to pull him over. Grayson was injured but survived the shooting.